Fire at National Archives Suitland Facility
Press Release · Tuesday, December 4, 2001

College Park, MD

At 10:07 AM on Tuesday, December 4, a fire of undetermined origin broke out in Stack 12 at the Washington National Records Center, a National Archives storage facility located in Suitland, MD. The fire alarm and the sprinkler systems were immediately activated. Employees were evacuated from the building. The sprinkler system contained the fire, and the fire was brought under control within a few minutes. The Prince George's Fire Department responded to the alarm and is currently on the scene.

National Archives staff is determining the extent of the damage and will work with the Fire Department to find out the cause of the fire. A team of National Archives conservators are on the scene and have already begun to evaluate what conservation measures need to be taken to preserve the affected records.

All Federal agencies with affected records located in the area of the fire and water damage have already been notified.

For additional PRESS information, please contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at (301) 837-1700 or by e-mail. Visit the National Archives Home Page on the World Wide Web at http://www.archives.gov.

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